My Longevity Simulation

Every True Immortal, Immortal Artifact, Immortal Formation, and even Immortal Servant possessed a unique mark that allowed them to connect to the Infinite Ocean.

This was most likely a means employed by successive Immortal Emperors who ruled the Immortal Realm to control its inhabitants.

Apart from anomalies like Li Fan, who could secretly enter the Infinite Ocean without authorization, the vast majority of beings in the Immortal Realm could not escape this restriction.

Since he carried the [Truth] and had once experienced the fusion of three Great Daos, Li Fan would not recklessly connect to the Infinite Ocean before recovering the protective divine ability of [Illusion Is Also Truth]. Therefore, he needed to rely on other means.

Following Li Fan's modifications to the Primordial Taiyuan Immortal Formation, wisps of silvery-white light began to emerge from the Unfixed Ring.

"Immortal spiritual qi. Such a familiar and wonderful sensation."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.

After all, he still possessed a mortal body. Thus, he carefully channeled all the immortal spiritual power generated and drawn in by the Immortal Formation into the modified formation he had constructed to accumulate and store energy.

Although the ownership of the immortal spiritual power within this reservoir did not belong to him, he could still access and utilize it freely through the formation.

It was much like how, in his previous life, Li Fan had borrowed the immortal power contained within the Immortal Skin gifted to him by the Lord of Blissful City.

Compared with power that genuinely belonged to him, manipulating this borrowed power was somewhat more cumbersome. It was not quite as effortless or responsive to his will.

However, the difference was not particularly significant.

In less than half a day, Li Fan had become thoroughly accustomed to accumulating and circulating immortal power within his body.

At the same time, certain unexpected developments occurred.

And they were undoubtedly good things, not bad ones.

Perhaps because of his previous experience with the fusion of three Great Daos, Li Fan had instinctively associated the power of the Immortal Realm's Mountains and Seas, the Infinity represented by [Truth], and the Great Dao of Longevity with one another.

Now, as he once again personally experienced the sensation of immortal spiritual power, it was as though he naturally came into contact with the other two as well.

However, Li Fan did not allow a momentary desire to cloud his judgment. After pondering for a while, he decided to temporarily set aside the Great Dao of Longevity.

For now, he would only draw upon the Transformations Between Truth and Falsehood represented by [Truth].

As immortal power gradually returned to his body, Li Fan's comprehension of the Transformations Between Truth and Falsehood, which had once been washed away during the fusion of the Mountains and Seas, slowly began to recover.

Yet there was little joy in his heart. Instead, his expression grew increasingly solemn.

"It seems the effects of the fusion of the three Great Daos have not completely disappeared."

"These are clearly three entirely different Great Daos, yet within my body, they seem to have become bound together, existing in a state of mutual dependence..."

Although Li Fan had deliberately refrained from comprehending the Great Dao of Longevity, as the other two Great Daos grew stronger, he keenly sensed that the lifespan of his current body was also increasing uncontrollably.

He was not a True Immortal, yet his lifespan had already become comparable to that of an Immortal.

It was like a calm waterline slowly and steadily rising, gradually reaching his knees and threatening to engulf him.

The sight was genuinely frightening.

Seeing this, Li Fan had no choice but to temporarily halt his progress in comprehending the other two Great Daos.

While feeling helpless, he could only console himself.

"At the very least, compared with my previous life, when I was directly assimilated without even the slightest opportunity to resist, this life has given me some tangible signs that I can barely use to understand the situation."

"As long as I control the rate at which my comprehension of the three Great Daos advances, I should be fine for the time being."

Li Fan knew that he had to completely resolve the hidden danger posed by the fusion of the three Great Daos. However, he currently had absolutely no idea how to accomplish this.

He could not even seek guidance from others.

Obtaining even one of the Great Daos of the Mountains and Seas was already an extraordinary blessing bestowed by heaven.

Obtaining two would make one a figure like Lord Hill Guardian.

But someone capable of obtaining all three...

Had never existed throughout all of antiquity!

Even [Truth] itself had suffered severe injuries during the fusion of the three Great Daos.

Li Fan could only explore a way to save himself.

"Perhaps the source of this River of Time, the Primordial Mountains and Seas that existed before the birth of the Immortal Realm, holds the answer."

"Alternatively, perhaps it would be easier to find a solution at the very end of the river, in that final world where everything has fused together."

At this moment, Li Fan stood at a particular point within the surging River of Time, looking back into the past and gazing into the future.

For a time, he found himself lost in confusion, uncertain of where he should go next.

Only after immersing himself in these thoughts for several days did he finally emerge from the countless illusions and streams of contemplation.

"Thinking too much will accomplish nothing. I should first deal with the matters at this particular point in time."

Having barely recovered even a fraction of his former abilities, Li Fan did not actually care much about the current Xuanhuang Realm.

"One thing at a time."

Li Fan took a single step forward. In the next instant, he had already followed the golden chain stretching across the void, returning from the Taiyuan Realm to the Xuanhuang Realm.

Sensing that their "Master" had departed, the Taiyuan Watcher and the Restoration Official finally slowly rose to their feet.

They paid no attention to the Taiyuan cultivators below, who were still crying out in agony. Instead, they joined forces to construct a statue of Li Fan, intending to preserve it forever as a reminder and memorial.

This was not something Li Fan had instructed them to do. Rather, it was an action they had taken of their own accord, driven by their innate instincts as "servants."

After returning to the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan did not immediately seek out the Xuanhuang Great Celestial Venerable.

Instead, he first returned to Evergreen Valley.

As compensation for the killing of Baili Shan, Cao Yingyue had provided Evergreen Valley with a portion of material assistance in her capacity as the Taishang Sect's chief disciple.

Although Zou Yunhao, the Valley Master of Evergreen Valley, was devastated by the death of this disciple whom he had practically raised with his own hands, he could not disregard the lives of everyone else in Evergreen Valley just for her sake and directly oppose the Taishang Sect.

Thus, he could only silently endure the loss.

Although Evergreen Valley had lost an unparalleled genius, with the support of the Taishang Sect, its overall circumstances had actually improved considerably. The sect was now flourishing with vitality, showing clear signs of advancing toward the ranks of first-rate sects.

"As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune depend on one another, and blessings and calamities are unpredictable."

"But it is precisely because one is weak that one can only drift with the current, allowing fortune and misfortune to determine one's fate."

"If the Valley Master of Evergreen Valley possessed strength like mine, he would be the one deciding whether something was a blessing or a calamity."

"The same principle applies to me. Although the fusion of the three Great Daos is an overwhelming calamity, it is also an unparalleled opportunity. In the end, everything depends on just how capable I am."

Having personally experienced the upheaval within Evergreen Valley and witnessed the changes that had taken place before and after, Li Fan could not help but feel a series of insights welling up within him.

After sensing the desire for revenge hidden deep within Zou Yunhao's heart, Li Fan smiled faintly and sent something over to him.

He then quietly flew into Evergreen Valley's sect treasury.

At that moment, Zou Yunhao was looking through Baili Shan's belongings, recalling the past and silently grieving.

Suddenly, something pricked his hand.

Looking down, he discovered a thin fragment he had never noticed before. It emitted a mysterious aura.

"Supreme... Dao..."

Zou Yunhao struggled to make out the characters written on the fragment. His expression changed dramatically.

He instinctively put the fragment away and warily surveyed his surroundings.

Several drops of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

Meanwhile, within Evergreen Valley's treasury, Li Fan swept the area with his divine sense and quickly found what he was looking for.

"I almost forgot about this matter."

With a casual gesture, he drew an old, yellowed book into his hand.

After flipping through the first few pages, he found that they were no different from the version he had encountered ten thousand years in the future.

It was none other than the Parable of Mountains and Seas left behind by Sun Piaomiao of the Medicine King Sect!

Previously, Li Fan had already found this parable outside the High Wall, within the migration site of the Ten Sects known as [Thousand Crossings Daoist Ground]. It had been confiscated by the Taishang Sect.

However, several crucial pages were missing from that copy.

Thus, Li Fan wanted to see whether this Parable of Mountains and Seas was still incomplete at this particular point in time.

"Hmm... It is actually complete."

"Interesting. Then who exactly was the one who tore out those pages?"

Li Fan's thoughts stirred as several suspicious individuals flashed through his mind.

He temporarily set the matter aside and began carefully reading the missing chapters of the parable.

They consisted of several short stories.

The first one, however, resolved a doubt Li Fan had encountered when reading the parable previously.

Once, new life forms were born in the Sea. The Sea even shared its infinite lifespan with these fragile beings. It went so far as to quarrel with the Mountain over them.

Yet in the chapters that followed, these life forms were never mentioned again. Between the Mountain and the Sea, there remained only the Mountain and the Sea.

Li Fan began reading with great interest about the fate of these life forms as recorded in the parable.

After the life forms were born in the Sea, the Mountain and the Sea did not speak to each other for many years.

Yet the Mountain and the Sea remained nestled against each other, never moving apart by even half a step.

Then, one day, a life form followed the surging waves of the great Sea, crossed the boundary, and arrived upon the Mountain.

The Sea feared that the Mountain would fly into a rage. Breaking the silence that had lasted for many years, it took the initiative to greet the Mountain.

"Mountain, you need not be angry. What harm could these little fellows possibly intend?"

"Sea, is that truly how you see me? If they can live in the Sea, then they can exist on the Mountain as well. Let them be!"

The Sea was overjoyed, believing that the Mountain had finally agreed to accept these life forms.

Thus, it took the initiative to raise its waves, sending even more life forms onto the Mountain.

The Mountain merely watched in silence, expressing no opinion.

The life forms spread between the Mountain and the Sea.

Like a bond connecting the Mountain and the Sea, they could be found across every Mountain and throughout the entire Sea.

Years passed in this manner.

Then, one day, the calm tides suddenly surged violently, rising high into the sky.

Caught completely off guard, countless life forms between the Mountain and the Sea were swallowed up.

The Sea was utterly astonished, but the Mountain had expected this all along.

"Mountain, they were clearly born in the Sea. Why, then, would they be drowned by the Sea?"

The Sea was deeply grieved, but there was nothing it could do for the life forms that had already sunk to the bottom.

The Mountain sighed. "When you and I merge, we must gradually adapt to each other. How could these beings possibly withstand such power?"

"If they had remained in the Sea all along, perhaps they could have lived alongside you forever."

"Unfortunately, they mistakenly ventured onto the Mountain."

The waves rolled on endlessly, continuing for a long time without subsiding.

"It was I who brought about their destruction."

"Without you, they would never have existed in the first place. How, then, can you say you destroyed them?"

The Sea offered no further reply.

From that day onward, there were no more life forms between the Mountain and the Sea.

...

Li Fan read this first story dozens of times with great care.

In the end, an indescribable expression appeared on his face.

"These life forms born in the Sea, or perhaps I should say the life forms of the Mountain and Sea. Do they represent every single existence in the mortal world, everything other than the Mountain and the Sea themselves?"

"The merging of the Mountain and the Sea is an inevitable trend of the greater forces at work. It is precisely the fundamental reason behind the emergence of the Dao Annihilation Calamity."

"Those unable to withstand the merging of the Mountain and the Sea will be completely annihilated within them."

"So..."

Li Fan pondered, arriving at a rather absurd conclusion.

It seemed that most of what this book of parable recorded concerned events that had occurred before the birth of mortal civilization, as well as...

Events that took place after its destruction.

In Li Fan's eyes, the incomprehensibly long passage of time was merely two of the most insignificant chapters in this parable.

"Dao Annihilation is the end of the mortal world, but it is not the end of the Mountain and the Sea."

"The appearance of Star, the disappearance of the Mountain and the Sea, and even the things that have not been recorded in this parable. Those are what truly matter."

A vague sense of loss welled up within him. Li Fan once again carefully examined the book of fables.

In the end, he confirmed his earlier judgment.

At the same time, more questions inevitably arose in his mind.

"Who exactly was the author of this book of parable?"

"If my speculation is correct, then someone was able to record the strange phenomena of the Mountain and Sea from the perspective of an existence that had witnessed the complete annihilation of the mortal world. This..."

Li Fan suddenly recalled something the Heavenly Emperor Taitian had once mentioned. At the end of time, someone would travel upstream against the flow of time, joining forces with cultivators of the past across the boundaries of spacetime to save the mortal world.

"Could this have been left behind by that powerful existence from the future, someone who came from the very end of time?"

"And what role does Sun Piaomiao play in all this?"

There were far too many questions he could not answer. Li Fan could only temporarily set them aside.

He continued reading the remaining chapters of the parable.

Most of them were records of the Mountain and the Sea coexisting, though their meanings were unclear.

One particular chapter especially caught Li Fan's attention.

One day, the Mountain was troubled and unhappy.

The Sea asked what was wrong, but the Mountain did not answer.

When the Sea asked again, faint rumblings of thunder could be heard deep within the Mountain.

The Sea was inexplicably delighted.

"Mountain, have you undergone a change as well? Isn't this a good thing? Why are you unhappy instead?"

The Mountain sighed.

"Sea, for the two of us, change may not necessarily be something worth celebrating."

"Have you forgotten the consequences of the changes we underwent in the beginning?"

The Sea continued to argue.

"But didn't those changes also give rise to the two of us as we are now? Mountain, do not resist. Try accepting them."

The Mountain remained silent.

After that, the thunder within the Mountain grew increasingly louder.

Then, one day, the Mountain and the Sea trembled.

The thunder fell silent.

...

"The Changes of the Mountain and Sea."

Li Fan faintly sensed something through this parable, but he could not put it into words.

It was as though an ever-present veil of white gauze stood between him and the truth, leaving him unbearably frustrated.

"These torn-out passages seem to represent certain major events that once took place between the Mountain and the Sea."

"The destruction of mortal civilization occupies only a handful of chapters in this book. Then what exactly do these Changes of the Mountain and Sea refer to? Could it be that, in the past, existences identical to the mortal civilizations of today once emerged within the Mountain and the Sea?"

"Only for all of them to perish one after another?"

Li Fan could not help letting his imagination run wild.

Aside from this, there was another chapter that he found extremely interesting. It even stirred a faint sense of fear within him, along with...

An inexplicable feeling of absurdity.

If the entire book of Parable was supposed to record the affairs of the Mountain and the Sea, then this particular chapter seemed completely out of place.

It was as though it had been forcibly inserted into the book.

It described precisely how the very first life form to cross from the Sea to the Mountain had discovered the existence of the Mountain while still in the Sea.

The Mountain and the Sea were vast beyond measure. Those dwelling within them could not recognize their true forms.

They lived there without worries, free from disasters and calamities. Yet one day, a life form arrived at the edge of the Sea and suddenly raised its head to look upward.

It seemed to catch a glimpse of the Mountain's silhouette.

That boundless form, every bit as limitless as the Sea itself, filled its entire mind, causing it to tremble instinctively with fear, curiosity, and excitement...

After that, it tried every possible means until it finally succeeded in riding the winds and waves of the Sea to cross over to the great Mountain.

Born in the Sea, it now stood upon the Mountain.

Its field of vision suddenly expanded to an incomparably distant and lofty horizon.

And so...

Its gaze went beyond the Mountain and the Sea.

It looked toward what lay beyond them.